Chapter 44: Disconnection

"This letter is from my mother?" Sakuno thought out loud. After calming herself down, she had the time to properly analyze things. Given the return address written there, that must be where her parents lived at the time.

"Do they still live there?"

Sakuno felt her chest tighten at the thought of her parents. She didn't have any memory of them at all and it made her feel as if she was living aimlessly, without having a past to look back on.

However, Sakuno was delighted to see her mother's handwriting. Ever since they left before she was even old enough to remember, Sakuno sought some kind of piece about them. But all her life, it was only her and her grandmother. When Sakuno was curious enough to ask where her parents were, Sumire would tell her that they left and that was the end of it. Strangely, Sakuno never questioned her grandmother and went on with her life like normal and she never held it against them that she was left alone.

But now, she finally had some kind of clue of where to find her parents, and it was a great opportunity to invite them to her wedding and introduce Ryoma.

It was perfect timing.

Sakuno decided to find them. She figured she'll go to Sapporo and ask around to see if they had moved to another location. She was determined to find and finally get to know her own family.

That night, she waited eagerly for Ryoma to come home after his training. When she heard the door open, Sakuno jumped from her seat and ran to greet him as she held the letter tightly in her hand.

"Ryoma-kun! I have to tell you something,"

Ryoma looked at her quizzingly. He slowly closed the door and dropped his bag on the floor before kissing her cheek.

"What is it?" He observed her excited expression, her eyes seemed to smile along with her lips. Ryoma was used to her sullen mood every time they saw each other at home, but tonight was different. Something good must have happened.

"Ryoma-kun. I found this letter in grandma's things and… and it's from my mother," her hands shakily handed the old letter to him. Ryoma examined the paper and as he read it, though it was brief, it did say a lot that Sakuno's mother had sent it, along with her baby photo.

"I figured we could drop by their address and see if they still live there and hopefully… we can invite them to the wedding?" She nervously waited for his answer, hoping that he would be willing to go with her to Sapporo on his busy schedule. Well, they're both busy but Sakuno was willing to take a day off and make the trip with or without him.

He thought for a while, looking at the ceiling, if he could drop everything that he needed to do for Sakuno's parents. His eyes traveled to her brown, doe eyes. Her face was practically begging him, how could he resist her when she's being like this? Even though he knew to himself that he's not up for it, Sakuno's happiness is more important to him, and if meeting the parents who abandoned her would make her happy… then…

Ryoma kissed her lips briefly and said "Okay."

Sakuno smiled widely as she jumped into his arms.

"Thank you, Ryoma-kun!"

Sakuno held Ryoma's wrist up and checked the time on his watch. They have been riding the bullet train for six hours, and it would still take two more before they arrive in Sapporo. On her shoulder rests her finance's head as he slept soundly throughout the trip. They were both tired from their work but Sakuno couldn't sleep. She was too worried about how she would approach her parents or how they would welcome her. All her life, she had never met them and first impressions are very important especially to them.

She also worries that they might not like Ryoma. Of course, he's a kind and genuine person, but the problem is, he's only like that to her. He's the usual stoic one around their friends, she's not sure if her parents would see past that aloof personality that Ryoma displays.

They would have to spend more time around him before they get to know his nature.

The prince adjusted his head covered in his black cap to disguise himself and nuzzled on Sakuno's shoulders more before falling back to sleep. She caressed his cheek as if lulling him back to his slumber. Her fingers stroked his skin as she sighs heavily, trying to dismiss all worries that day.

After two more hours, they finally set foot in Sapporo. Ryoma yawned loudly, a few tears escaped his tired eyes. Sakuno bows apologetically to a few passersby for Ryoma's unethical loudness.

"Ryoma-kun. Let's ride a taxi. I'm sure the driver would know this exact address," She walked ahead of him without waiting for his reply. The man just followed her without another word.

Sakuno was right. The driver drove to the exact address on the letter and before they knew it, they arrived at their destination in only half an hour. It was a miracle that she hadn't lost her way on this trip since she was the one leading the way and deciding where to go. Ryoma was also impressed at her growth.

"Good job, Sakuno," he commented.

"Hehe… s-should I knock?"

They stood outside the tall metal gate that surrounded a big house comparable to the Echizen house in Tokyo. It was nothing short of an upper class's home.

"Or press the doorbell," He pointed at the small button on the right pillar of the gate. Sakuno gulped before her finger pushed the button softly. They heard a faint ring coming from inside the house and they waited anxiously for someone to come out.

Sakuno held Ryoma's hand as her heart beat pound loudly. Her eyes darted around the view as her mind panicked. In a matter of seconds, she will be meeting her parents after twenty five years. She wasn't sure when they left, but this is the day that she will learn of her parents' story.

Suddenly, a middle aged woman stepped out of the front door. Her auburn hair and white skin was unmistakably similar to Sakuno's.

Both of them wondered if this woman was Sakuno's mother.

"Yes?" Said her mellow voice. Sakuno couldn't say a word, she hadn't even thought about what her first words for them would be, so Ryoma stepped forward and held her hand firmly.

"Good afternoon. We're looking for Satsuki," he said, removing his cap in the process, revealing his dark green hair, feline eyes, and strong jaw. He figured he had to make himself known to her parents. He had no reason to disguise himself in front of them, after all.

The woman looked confused. By now, she was standing on the opposite side of the gate and she was facing Ryoma with Sakuno behind him.

"I'm Satsuki," she muttered. Sakuno's eyes widened as she heard her answer. Ryoma felt her tensed up behind him and continued to speak.

"My name is–"

"Ryoma Echizen. I know you, I've seen you in the news, magazine, and the internet. I can't believe a world renowned athlete showed up in front of me," The woman smiled softly at him. Her eyes traveled to the girl and she instantly noticed how identical they looked.

"I–I'm Ryuzaki Sakuno," She awkwardly said. Satsuki was momentarily shocked, her face displaying a rather unpleasant reaction, as if a ghost appeared in front of her. Ryoma noticed this and found it weird. Is this a normal reaction from a mother? Then, the older woman composed herself and soon, her shocked face changed to a stoic one.

"Come in,"

Satsuki opened the gate and ushered them in. Ryoma pulled Sakuno by the hand as she nervously stood in front of Satsuki who was equally as anxious as her.

They were silently led into the house that was large inside, the two thought. Their eyes wandered around the house's corners, from the expensive vases that decorated the tables, to the glamorous glass stairs leading to the second floor. Satsuki sat them in the living room and the maid served them hot tea and cookies.

Ryoma, being the fastest human to adjust to his surroundings, sat comfortably on the velvet sofa and began sipping on his tea. Sakuno fidgeted beside him.

"So, you're Sakuno? Sumire's granddaughter?" She finally spoke.

"Y-Yes… Sumire–grandma," She felt a bit weirded out by Satsuki referring to her own mother by her given name. It was quite disrespectful but she couldn't dwell on that right now. There are more important things to discuss at the moment.

"How did you know where to find me?" Her voice began to sound defensive, Ryoma thought.

"Um… I found this in her belongings," Sakuno handed the letter to Satsuki and she read it. Ryoma and Sakuno noticed how nervous Satsuki got after she saw the letter. Suddenly, memories began to come back to her like a nightmare. She couldn't help but feel physically ill from all the unpleasant memories.

"Are you okay?" Sakuno almost tended to her weak figure but then Satsuki held out her hand to stop her. By now, Sakuno was confused at how she was acting. Isn't she happy to see her own daughter?

Did we have the wrong house? No, that can't be. She is Satsuki. She's mother. But why is she acting… different?

Sakuno slowly sat back beside a relaxed Ryoma. She couldn't understand Satsuki's reaction upon seeing the letter she herself wrote. She couldn't help but sense an impending disappointment in this trip. She just doesn't know what.

"Where is she? Sumire, I mean," she asked in a shaky voice.

"G–Grandma? She's… gone," Sakuno couldn't resist her tears from falling down, Ryoma held her shoulder. He knew how painful it was whenever Sakuno talks about the coach and if he can only help it, she wouldn't have to feel sad at her grandmother's memory.

"What? What do you mean gone?"

"She passed away eight years ago," Ryoma answered for Sakuno. He watched as Satsuki visibly grew sad and confused at the same time. He understood this, who wouldn't be sad to know that your own mother had died and you weren't even there.

"I… I can't believe it," She seemed to be in shock, her hands were shaking. Sakuno panicked and quickly stood up and grabbed a glass of water for Satsuki.

"Thank you,"

"Um… I have to know… are you my mother?" Sakuno knelt down in front of her and assisted her in placing the glass down on the coffee table.

Satsuki sighed, as if she was caught red handed about something. She slowly but unwillingly nodded.

Ryoma watched the scene unfold, and he was suddenly aware that he might be in the way of their reunion so he decided to excuse himself and let them talk privately. He figured Sakuno should be the one to confront the situation alone, and also, heavy dramas always made him feel uncomfortable.

"I'll be outside. Excuse me," he stood up and bowed.

Ryoma roamed the streets of Sapporo for a while. It has been two hours since he fled the awkward scene and decided to walk around. He has never been to Sapporo, he only heard about it from Honoka who grew up here and she said that there is the famous Sapporo beer and Ramen house just near the station. He debated if he should go there now and give Sakuno and her mother more time to bond, or if he should wait for her so they could go together.

Would she feel left out if I go alone?

He shoved his frozen hands in his pocket even though he was wearing thick gloves and let out a foggy breath. The snow was too much for him now that he's getting older, so he ultimately decided to go inside a nearby coffee shop and settled on a hot cup of joe while waiting.

Ryoma stared at the window and watched the people walk by as they shopped around. He would sip on his coffee for a bit and then continue watching outside when he suddenly spotted Sakuno.

Huh?

Ryoma stood up and hurriedly ran out and caught her arm. She spun around, tears falling uncontrollably on her cheeks. Ryoma panted heavily, a growing confusion clouded his mind. He was sure that reunions are often happy experiences, but why is Sakuno crying? And it's not tears of joy, Ryoma knew.

"Sakuno, why are you out? What happened to your mother?" He held her cold hands and rubbed them together to keep them warm. She must have forgotten her gloves at Satsuki's house, so he removed his own and slid it into her small hands. She was strangely devastated, she didn't move a muscle. Ryoma was freaking out at her appearance that he pulled her to the coffee shop.

"Sakuno, talk to me. Why are you crying? What happened?" He sat her down and shook her stunned state. The tears kept falling, Ryoma ignored the people taking glances at them. He was too focused on Sakuno to care about them.

"Ryoma-kun… let's go home…" she muttered, her voice shaking. Ryoma frowned at her. He definitely did not see this coming. Before he came out of the house, he was sure that they would have a good time and they would definitely stay the night or something. But now, Sakuno was desperately begging him to go home after they traveled eight hours without lodging. Now, they have to travel back home for another eight hours in that uncomfortable bullet train.

What in the world happened anyway?

"Let's check in a hotel and rest. We can go home tomorrow, the snow is getting stronger," he said.

"I want to go home, Ryoma-kun," she sobbed. She hadn't cried like this in a long time. Ever since they got engaged, Sakuno's days became brighter and more cheerful, but now she seemed to be reverting back to her stressed state.

"Sakuno," he wiped away a few tears on her cheeks, "Let's go to a hotel so you can rest. We'll talk about it."

Sakuno had no energy left to resist so she unwillingly followed him. They exited the coffee shop and rode a taxi to one of the famous hotels in the city.

Sakuno laid in the soft and comfortable bed. A thick blanket covered her entire body, shielding it from the cold. Ryoma sat beside her, stroking her auburn hair.

"I'm sorry for making you come here," she spoke weakly.

"No worries," he replied. It took a while to calm Sakuno down, she took a long bath, he bought ice cream for her, then he waited until she was ready to say something. Ryoma didn't force any answers anymore, he gave her time to process whatever the problem was.

"She said…" Sakuno sighed heavily, her heart began to pound again, as she recalled what happened earlier.

"She said she didn't want to keep me because life was hard and she wasn't ready, so she gave me to grandma. She knew that grandma was excited for my birth so she was sure that I would be taken care of. My father… he was married to someone else at the time, so he wasn't happy about it,"

Ryoma felt sick in his stomach. It was the worst thing he has ever heard in his life, and the fact that it happened to Sakuno made it much more unbearable. He couldn't believe it, how could a parent just decide that she doesn't want her baby and just dumped the responsibility to someone else?

He felt anger boil up inside of him as he watched Sakuno tear up all over again.

"It hurt so bad that I couldn't stick around to hear more. I just needed to get out of there, I just wanted to find you," she choked on her words, she sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist. She shut her eyes and let more hot tears fall, her shoulders were shaking, her fingers clutching on his shirt. Her cries were painful for Ryoma to hear that he just tried his best to think of something to say to try and mend the pain.

"Sakuno," the truth is, he didn't have any idea what to say, or how to comfort her. His hands stayed on the bed, supporting both of their weight. He felt sorry for her, he realized she might have been feeling worse when the coach died and she had to live with his family for a while.

"I was so mad, and I know I shouldn't feel that way because I'm alive because of them," she sobbed and continued, "I just didn't see it coming. I… I feel so lost."

Ryoma embraced her and patted her head in comfort.

"Don't worry, you can cry all you want, but don't forget that I'm already your family even before we get married. So what if they don't want you? It's their loss, because you're the most wonderful person I know, and I want you. I won't ever leave you."

"Thank you," Sakuno tightened her grip on him. Ryoma's words calmed her every time and she was dependent on it. It was a good decision to bring him along, after all.

"As I was walking, I kept wondering what was so wrong with me? I was a baby, did I cry too much?"

"You definitely cry too much, but it's okay. Stick with the people who treasure you."

"You're an idiot, Ryoma-kun," Sakuno laughed lightly at his joke, and Ryoma felt glad to see her smiling again. "I'll be okay, right? I survived twenty five years without them, I can just continue living like this."

"That's right, Sakuno."

"Thank you for being here with me."

"No problem. Get some rest, I'll go out and pick up dinner," Ryoma kissed her forehead and laid her back on the bed. Sakuno sniffed and pulled the blanket up to her neck. The weather was starting to get colder and she worried Ryoma might catch a cold outside.

"Ryoma-kun, wear your jacket and scarf, okay?" She watched the prince slide onto his turtleneck sweater and sneakers. He grabbed his jacket from the chair and waved a hand to her.

Ryoma stared at the menu of a ramen shop in the city. He knew exactly what he wanted, Tonkotsu ramen. He just wasn't sure if Sakuno's in the mood for it. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.

"Hello, Sakuno. Do you want ramen or something else?" he asked.

"Ryoma Echizen-kun?" a woman's voice said. The voice was familiar to Ryoma, and it's definitely not Sakuno's.

"Who is this?"

"S-Satsuki. I think she left her phone in my home. Will you come and get it?"

He was surprised by the sudden situation. He didn't even want to meet her again after what she did to Sakuno, but he needed to get the phone back. So, there was no other choice but to meet Sakuno's mother once again.

"Okay," he sighed.

He rang the doorbell and soon, Satsuki appeared with a small paper bag in hand. By that time, the sky was already dark, and the lamp posts illuminated the streets. Ryoma looked at her with stoic eyes, his mood worsening by the minute.

"Echizen-kun, thank you for coming back all the way here. Please, do come in," She smiled weakly at him.

"No thanks. I just want the phone back,"

"O-Oh, here it is," she handed Sakuno's peach colored phone to him, and the pair of pink gloves.

He grabbed the phone and gloves and muttered a silent 'thanks'. He felt uncomfortable facing Satsuki again, and the thought that he was doing it without Sakuno's knowledge was nerve-wracking.

"H-How is she?" Satsuki rubbed her arm unconsciously, feeling regretful of her words earlier. But it was too late, she couldn't take back what she said, and what she did years ago.

"She's resting," he replied. Ryoma looked down on his feet, wondering how much longer he would need to stay. He really wanted to go back to the hotel.

"Echizen-kun, please tell Sakuno that I'm sorry. I wasn't able to apologize earlier because she ran out suddenly. I… I don't know who you are in her life, but please take care of her. Even though those things happened, I truly loved her, and I want her to forget about me and be happy."

Satsuki smiled sadly at him as she began to close the gate. Ryoma couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous she sounded.

"You're so used to dumping your own daughter to others. You don't even want to make it up to her now that she showed up in front of you. I thought I would want your blessing for her hand, thinking that at least she still had a relative, but this is enough."

Satsuki gasped. She had no idea that he was dating Sakuno, and that they're getting married.

"Wait–"

"Bye,"

Ryoma walked away, ignoring Satsuki's calls for him to return. He felt as if the heavy load of anger miraculously lifted up, satisfied with how he handled the situation.

He opened the door and saw a sleeping Sakuno on the bed. Her cheeks were still damp from all the tears, and the ice cream had completely melted on the side table. Ryoma put the ramen on the table and watched her breath in and out steadily.

Ryoma laid beside her, and proceeded to rest his tired eyes and body. It was a long day and he knew that Sakuno still needed to sort things out tomorrow. He just had to make sure that he will always be there for her from now on.

Sakuno woke up in their bed in Tokyo. She groggily rubbed her eyes to brush away the sleepiness. She remembered a few days had passed since the unfortunate and painful reunion with her mother. She couldn't decide if it was a good thing that they met, or if it was unnecessary. But Ryoma pointed out that they needed an out of town trip to experience the nice city of Sapporo.

He had a point.

She walked out of the bedroom silently, careful not to wake up the people next door. Nanjirou and Rinko came back from America and was staying in their house for two days now. She wasn't sure if Ryoma made them spend time with her because of what happened to her mother, but either way, she was thankful.

"Good morning, Sakuno-chan," Rinko was frying eggs and bacon in the kitchen when Sakuno woke up. No wonder it smelled delicious around the house.

"Good morning, Aunt Rinko," she sat on one of the bar stools and watched the older woman move swiftly.

"Sweetheart, call me mother from now on. We're family now," She turned around and smiled at her. Sakuno felt butterflies in her stomach as she admired Rinko's angelic smile, and the fact that she had already seen her as one of them was overwhelming but pleasant.

That's right, they're family now. Just like what Ryoma said, even before their wedding, she now has a new family, one that she didn't need to wonder what's genuine and what's not. It was always there, and she was grateful for their acceptance.

That's right, nothing else matters for she found a family that would never hurt her in any way, one that has loved her from the very beginning.

That's all that matters.

"Yes, mother," she smiled.

To be continued.